In Sweet Company: Conversations with Extraordinary Women about Living a Spiritual Life [Paperback]

Margaret Wolff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 2006

In Sweet Company takes readers on a spiritual odyssey into the hearts and minds of some of the most influential women of our time —Olympia Dukakis, Sister Helen Prejean, Riane Eisler, Zainab Salbi, Margaret Wheatley, Katherine Dunham, Reverend Lauren Artress, Grandmother Twylah Hurd Nitsch, Sri Daya Mata, Rabbi Laura Geller, Le Ly Hayslip, Miriam Polster, Alma Flor Ada, and Gail Williamson. For all these women, their spiritual life nourishes them and serves as a dependable compass for decision making. Written with warmth and wisdom, In Sweet Company tells their stories, their personal journeys, and relates their thoughts on living a spiritual life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Into this series of extended conversations with women representing different facets of contemporary American spirituality, journalist and teacher Wolff threads another story: her own struggle for order and meaning after a car accident impaired many of her cognitive abilities. The eclectic group of 14 women she profiles includes prominent religious figures like Sri Daya Mata, an American who became a monastic disciple of the Indian-born Kriya yoga practitioner Paramahansa Yogananda and then the third president of the Self-Realization Fellowship. There are also less typical figures, like management guru Margaret J. Wheatley and the late Gestalt psychotherapist Miriam Polster. Even those who represent Judeo-Christian traditions, like Episcopal priest/psychotherapist/ labyrinth devotee Lauren Artress, bring an unconventional perspective that will appeal to readers who prefer their spiritual practice to push the margins. Each chapter begins with a biographical sketch and concludes with helpful references for those who want to know more. Appetizing as this quintessentially American smorgasbord of spiritual lives is, there is something distracting about the author's "gee-whiz" style that lessens the book's impact. Readers who aren't bothered by that self-conscious tic or by Wolff's own rather intrusive role in the interviews may be inspired and enlightened by these conversational profiles. (Feb.)
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Review

"In Sweet Company provides readers with a bird’s eye view of the inner lives of fourteen very different women whose practical wisdom and generous hearts inspire us to deepen our own spiritual connection. Their lives are their message to us all, a message we need to hear: connect with the Divine, anchor our actions in spiritual principles, serve the greater good."
—Laurie Beth Jones, author, Jesus, CEO

"This is an invaluable resource that harnesses the wisdom, beauty, creativity,  and resourcefulness found in women who are committed to make a difference. This book is inspirational and filled with creative possibilities to manifest a better world for our children and grandchildren, exemplified by the way these extraordinary women have led their lives."
—Angeles Arrien, cultural anthropologist; author, The Four-Fold Way and The Second Half of Life

"Inquiring conversations with 14 women whose lives and work are energized and given meaning by their personal connection with spiritual wellsprings."
—Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author, Goddesses in Everywoman and Urgent Message from Mother

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (February 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787983381
• ISBN-13: 978-0787983383
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep, thoughtful, uplifting, November 3, 2002

By 

Amy Silver (Luray, VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Sweet Company : Conversations with Extraordinary Women About Living a Spiritual Life (Paperback)

I'm only halfway through this book and it has literally changed my experience of life during the past couple of days. I've read thousands of books but I can compare its impact to only a very few. The spiritual wisdom Wolff has elicited from the women she interviewed, plus her own beautiful, lucid, candid writing style, have deeply moved and heartened me.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In The SWEETEST Of Company, February 10, 2006

By 

Mark Leary "Soulsplash Writers" (Bend, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Sweet Company: Conversations with Extraordinary Women about Living a Spiritual Life (Paperback)

Extraordinary. Exceptional. Brilliant. Real.

In her most insightful of ways, Margaret Wolff opens up the lives of some of the most amazing women in recent history. With an extremely sensitive touch, she offers the reader an incredible glimpse into what it means for anybody--you, me, or the "extraordinary" women found between the covers--to live a spirit-filled life.

As this precious book unfolds, it shows what is required of us to find the meaning we are all searching for...but, far from "preach-y" or "dogmatic" the wordplay in this book delights and dances as it reflects our storied lives; filled as they are with opportunities for exploration, experience, and communion. A must-read for everybody who wants to discover the power of simplicity...

Brilliantly crafted. Generous. And, filled with the simple revelations found in our everyday lives, Wolff lets us feel safe as we imagine what's really possible in our lives; warmed and comforted as we share time in her sweetest of company.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Men, Too!, February 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: In Sweet Company : Conversations with Extraordinary Women About Living a Spiritual Life (Paperback)

This book is not just for women. Not only did I received many insights and answers, but I also identified with some issues. The spiritual quest is indeed universal, and its essence neither masculine nor feminine.